James houlehan



(No Model.)

J. HOULEHAN. ELEGTROMAGNBT.

Patented Peb. 18, 1896.

-uTH

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES I'IOULEIIAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE IIOULEI-IAN MAGNETIC SEPARATOR COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

YELEC-HmmmNET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,821, dated February 18, 1896.

Application lled May l0, 1895. Serial No. 548,843. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMES HOULEHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electromagnets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved electromagnet for use, particularly, in magnetic oreseparators, though it is also useful for separating magnetic from non-magnetic metals.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a construction of electromagnet whereby dead-centers or zero-points on the polepieces shall be prevented and thus enable the pole-pieces to be magnetized, even uniformly, throughout their surface.

To accomplish the object of my invention I preferably Wind the magnet-cores which project from a central hub in a particular manner and connect the windings in multiple series with a suitable generator, and I form the pole-pieces in a circle, and, as an essential feature of my improvement, in alternating connected sections of soft iron and nonmagnetic material, to the former of which alternate cores of the magnet lead, while the intermediate cores should straddle, at their ends, the j unction-line between adjacent polepieces of soft iron and non-magnetic material. By the construction thus generally outlined I attain diffusion of the generated magnetism over the entire surface of the annulus afforded by the alternate pole-piece sections thereof of soft iron and non-magnetic maten rial and thus avoid any zero-point thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows my improved electromagnet by a view in end elevation, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner I observe in winding each core.

A is a hub of soft (preferably gray) iron having radiating or extending outward from its circumference cores r and r' of the same material, shown as eight in number, though the number may be varied without departure from my invention. The hub and cores may be cast in one piece. I wind the cores with insulated wire, (I have generally used No. 2O wire,) as follows: Beginning with the core r at I wind it helically in one direction nearly to its outer end, as indicated at fw in Fig. 2; thence I carry the wire, outside the first winding, lengthwise of the core back, as indi cated at s, to the starting-point, from which another layer is wound, as indicated at w', upon the iirst in the same direction as the latter nearly to the outer end of the core, from which the wire is carried back across the second layer lengthwise of the core, as indicated at s', to the starting-point. In the same manner the layers are wound in desired number according to the efficiency required-say one hundred and ten volts and fifteen ampres. The end of the last layer, which is also brought back to the starting-point, is then carried to the inner end of the next adjacent core r', about which it is wound in layers in the manner described of the preceding core, and thus each core is wound with wire and formed into a spool B, the windings being connected in multiple series, as represented, and the end t( of the Wire from the last-wound core r' being directed through an opening t in the center of the hub, through which the initial end t is also passed, and at which ends connection may be made with a suitable electric genen ator, (not shown,) as with the brushes of a series-Wound dynamo-electric machine.

C and C2 are segmental pole-pieces formed, respectively, of soft (preferably gray) iron and non-magnetic material, as zinc, which is the material I employ for the pole-pieces C2. The segmental pole-pieces are connected t0- gether end to end to form an annulus C, the adjacent ends being preferably provided, as the means of intimately joining them, respectively, with tongues p and grooves ya', which iit each other.

Each core r extends to a different pole-piece C', preferably at a point about midway between its ends, where it is fastened, as by means of a screw 0 passing through the polepiece, into the end of the core. Each core r' extends and is fastened like each core r to a different pole-piece C2; but to attain the best results of my improved construction each core r should overlap at its extremity the line of junction between the adjacent polepieces, so as to cause, say, one-fourth of the surface of the core end to contact with a polepiece C and the remainder thereof to contact with a pole-piece C2. To render this straddling of the pole-piece junction-lines by the cores o" convenientlypossible I cast the body 01 the magnet so as to have the cores r and Ir in pairs with their respective members adequately close together, as shown.

I show my improved electromagnet in the form of a wheel, because it is intended to be rotated in use and because the wheel form is preferred; but I do not limit my invention to the wheel Aform of the magnet.

IVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An electromagnet comprising a set of wire-wound soft-iron cores, and pole-pieces, successively of opposite polarities,at the outer ends of said cores, said pole-pieces comprising segments joined together end to end and termin g an annulus, said segments being conn posed alternately of soft iron and non-niagnetic solid material, substantially as described.

2. An electroinagnet comprising a set of wire-wound soft-iron cores terminating in polespicces, said pole-pieces being endlessly joined together and formed, respectively, of soft iron and non-magnetic material, the core for each soft-iron polespiece joining said polepiece at a point between the pole-piece ends, and the core for each pole-piece of non-magnetic material straddling the junction-line between the latter and the adjacent soft-iron pole-piece, substantially as described.

3. An electromagnet comprising a set of spools terminating in pole-pieces endlessly joined together and formed, respectively, of soft iron and non-magnetic material, each spool comprising a soft-iron core wound with layers of insulated wire, said layers bein wound in parallel relation one upon the other each from a point on the cord toward the outer end thereof and connected in succession by the wire of each being extended back across the layerlengthwise of the core from the outer end oi the winding to the startingjiointthereof, said spools being suitably connected, the core i'or each soft-iron pole-piece joining said pole-piece at a point between the pole-piece ends, and the core for eachpole-piece of nenmagnetic material straddling the junctionline between the latter and the adjacent softiron pole-piece, substantially as described.

li. An electroniagnet comprising a softsiron hub A having extending from it soft-iron eo res `7' and 9" each wound with layers oi' Vinsulated wire, said layers being wound in parallel relation one npon the other each from a point on the core toward the outer end thereof and connected in succession by the wire et' each being extended back across the layer lengthwise of the core from the outer end ol the winding to the starting-point thereof, said windings being suitably connected Afrom core to core, and an annulus C formed in sections C and C2 joined at their ends and comprising pole-pieces formed, respectively, ol soft iron and non-magnetic material, as zine, each core fr' joining a pole-piece C between its ends, and each core r joining a pair oi' said pole-pieces C and C2 at their junction-line to straddle the latter, substantially a-s described.

JAMES IIOULEIIAN. 

